1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for determining the concentration of the adipocytic form of the fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP, FABP4, P2) for diagnostics and research of the metabolic syndrome, of non-insulin-dependent diabetes (type II diabetes), insulin resistance, obesity (obesitas/adipositas/fatness) and related disorders of the metabolism. It further relates to a test kit for implementation of this method.
Areas of application are medicine and, in particular, medicinal diagnostics.
2. Background of the Related Art
Metabolic syndrome, also known as Syndrome X, insulin resistance syndrome or multiple metabolic syndrome, represents a disorder of metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals etc. of the organism, which can be caused by hereditary factors and/or conditions of life. The metabolic syndrome includes: insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, arterial hypertonia and adipositas.
Insulin resistance is defined as an insensitivity against the body's own insulin. Not only the patients with type II diabetes, but also about 20% of the practically healthy patients who are not overweight suffer from insulin resistance. The causes of insulin resistance have not yet been unambiguously clarified. The characteristics of insulin resistance also include exhaustion of beta cells, their desensitisation and apoptosis caused by hyperinsulinaemia with gluco- and lipotoxicity.
Dyslipidaemia is a disorder of the fat metabolism in form of hypercholesteraemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, hyperlipidaemia (increased blood fat values as a generic term). The latter is characterised by high triglyceride and low HDL cholesterol values, small, dense LDL particles and a high content of free fatty acids. The spectrum of affects ranges from “customary” (polygenic) hypercholerstinaemia (about 10% of the population) to rare, genetically induced lipid metabolism disorders. Dyslipidaemias are risk factors for atherosclerosis, in particular for coronary heart disease. Over and above this, the free fatty acids contribute to maintaining the state of insulin resistance.
Cardiovascular diseases and in particular coronary heart disease (CHD) are the essential complications of metabolic syndrome as regards prognosis and thus the main cause of death for this group of patients.